I still remember the moment standing on the side of the motorboat at 2 pm, looking out into the distance to see the sea like a jade silk strip flowing in the wind, stretching far and wide to the horizon, the sea water was so clear that you could see streams of water of different colors: white, dark blue (because of seaweed), light blue the color of the sky... intertwined, in the distance were islands, islets undulating like giant uncut jade stones in the middle (because of the vegetation covering them). I stood there silently, forgetting to record a clip or take a picture, my companion stood beside me, his two hands tightly gripping the side of the boat, cutting through the white water currents running to the coral reef, his face was dazed as if drunk on morning coffee, his mouth whispered - not sure if he was talking to me or whispering unconsciously: "How can it be so beautiful?".
Nam Du coast is beautiful and peaceful.
The end of the Saigon business trip was just the weekend, I had heard a lot about Nam Du archipelago, had time to gather information, prepared, I bought a sleeper bus ticket, departing from Ho Chi Minh City Youth Cultural House at 10 pm on Friday night on the first day of hot summer. Near morning the next day, the bus arrived in Rach Gia Kien Giang, we bought SuperDong hydrofoil tickets, to Nam Du.
After nearly three hours of the boat bobbing up and down, we arrived at Cu Tron Island – the largest island in the Nam Du archipelago. Arriving at the wharf, we saw boats laden with fresh fish and shrimp, with rare seafood that is hard to find in Hanoi or Saigon, boats and baskets loaded with mussels, sea urchins, clams and squid… showing off their rich appearance mixed with the strong smell of the sea.
Ship from Kien Giang to Nam Du.
After checking in, we rented a motorbike to go around the island. The splendid and charming Nam Du gradually appeared in my mind from Bai Ngu, where Gia Long Nguyen Anh drifted to when he was still in trouble, the name "Bai Ngu" also comes from there. Each mountain slope like the Cuu Long ink cartridge that I used to wear around my waist to write with when I was a child, sloping down, converging on the emerald green beach. In the distance, boats leisurely swam in the bay, adding to the magnificent ink painting under the warm sunlight at 10am and the generous winds whistling and playing with the rows of 70, 80 year old coconut trees.
The road around Cu Tron Island was probably newly completed, and in some places it was still fresh with red basalt soil mixed with gravel. Above was the old forest and below was the vast ocean. The two brothers sat on the old motorbike, going and watching the ocean, exclaiming with joy, not stopping everywhere to take pictures…
Just looking at the sea and exclaiming with joy, can't stop everywhere to take pictures...
After a hearty lunch with all kinds of delicious seafood and a leisurely and happy nap in the middle of the sea and sky, we boarded a motorboat to Hon Mau to dive and see the coral. Although the coral in Nam Du is not as numerous and beautiful as Nha Trang or Phu Quoc, most of them have calcified, it is rare to find a fresh green patch, swaying like fish swimming, but each pile of rocks under the sea with colorful aquatic species interwoven with schools of fish wriggling and swimming also made us breathless from diving, from happiness and from having a wonderful experience...
After swimming and diving to my heart's content, I hung up on the boat with my wet body and hair flowing under the strong sea breeze, sat on the side of the boat, and received a bowl of hot oyster porridge that the boatman gave me. I scooped, slurped, and ate it, feeling the sweetness, the warmth, and the salty taste of the sea seeping into my cells, and then I realized how much life is worth living...
Cuisine in Nam Du is also extremely rich and diverse.
We returned to the main island to await a Saturday night that was no less vibrant and splendid than a festival on the Caribbean coast. All kinds of men and women, young and old, especially young people, sat close together in rows of simple and rustic shops, glasses overflowing with wine, endless chatter and laughter, along with delicious and fragrant seafood dishes that, even now, as I write this article, I still drool with longing. Nam Du also has all kinds of seafood specialties that captivate tourists such as grilled scallops with scallion oil, steamed squid with ginger, sour soup with grouper..., but the most typical dish here is grilled green bone fish with banana leaves - truly excellent!
After a comfortable night, we woke up early to watch the sunrise on the island, sat on the wet grass and watched each ray of sunlight filtering through the charming bungalow roofs on Men beach, then went to visit Nam Du Lighthouse. Because there was a Border Guard station there and because the old car we rented could not accelerate up the long, gentle slopes, which were almost vertical in some places, we had to stand from afar and look up at the top of this famous lighthouse. When we returned to the homestay, we suddenly saw on the boat yards close together, under the rows of green trees blowing in the wind, the words: "Will you marry me?" in the middle of the road. Which guy proposed to his lover in such a romantic way? Every car passing by, without anyone telling anyone, avoided this heart shape to hope that Nam Du would forever have this lovely image, to wish the couple happiness together, forever, under the blue sky, white clouds, yellow sunshine and the gentle sea...
Just one weekend in Nam Du was enough to bring about a surge of positive emotions and memories, though hidden by time, suddenly rekindled and overflowed. It is truly “My country is so beautiful, so beautiful…”
